(introduction, part one, part two, part three)

His name is Lucas Evans. He is a student at William McKinley High School, and he is polite, young, and an accidental killer. He sits across from us in the prison ward he is being held in, and his fingers twitch with nerves. We wonder if maybe he thinks we’re here to accuse him some more. Errantly, we think about how young he looks, and what his life might have been like if he hadn’t killed young Julie. He stares at us, with piercing blue eyes, and it’s the fear in his eyes that remind us how young he is. His hair is blonde and falls across his forehead messily, and his skin is smooth, without the wrinkles we have seen on the others. All his pain is in his eyes. His age doesn’t excuse his crime, though, and we know that. He bites his lip, and we prompt him with a simple question: ‘what do you want to tell people?’

“I didn’t mean to. I want that to be the first thing people hear from me, because I honestly didn’t mean to. It was an accident. A horrible, horrible, accident. I wish I could take it back. God…sitting here in this cell, I have had a lot of time to think. You know what’s weird? I knew her. Sort of. My older brother knew her mom in high school, I even think they dated for a time, and he had mentioned Quinn once or twice…it’s weird how twisted we are in people’s lives. I’m sorry. I guess I don’t have any right to be all philosophical or whatever. I also want to tell people I’m sorry. I already begged Quinn for her forgiveness, and she gave it to me. I know I didn’t deserve it. But I want to thank her for that. Also, I want to tell my parents that I love them, and that I’m sorry. And to Sam, my hero, I wanted to apologize for letting you down. I never wanted to disappoint you. There are a lot of things I didn’t want, I guess. Ruining my life and ending that little girl’s being on the top. But, um, to everyone out there, who thinks I’m some sort of heartless murderer, I didn’t kill her on purpose. I know that doesn’t justify what I did, but…I’ve been trying to find it in myself to forgive myself. I know it’s something I have to do before I die, but I’m finding it harder the more I wait. I don’t know how Quinn did it. If I was in her shoes, I wouldn’t have. But…if she can forgive me…I have to be able to, right?”